Ashgrove Orchards

All our cider products are made on the farm with apples harvested from our own organic orchards. This provides instant traceability and enables us to guarantee the quality of each product.

Our well established orchards of ‘standard’ tree varieties are managed using traditional, environmentally sustainable farming methods without the need for chemical sprays or fertilisers, backed since 2003 by a Countryside Stewardship scheme developed in conjunction with the Herefordshire branch of the Farming Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG).

Planting records obtained from Bulmers have indicated that many of the trees are more than 70 years old. The following varieties have been identified :

Bulmers Norman

Mitchelin

Tanners Red

Sherringtons

Kingston Black

Foxwelp

Brown Snout

Yarlington Mill

Our orchards, which are registered with Westons Cider as either organic, or ‘in conversion’, are grazed by our own herd of Pedigree Hereford cattle and flock of Pedigree Ryelands sheep. Any apples not used for our own cider products are supplied under contract to Westons Cider.

The grazing is managed according to strict organic standards with grazing only allowed for a maximum of 60 days per year, and no grazing is allowed with 6 weeks of harvesting.